By Omar Villafranca staff reporter Certain ingredients are needed when choosing the right college or university. Start with a respected academic reputation. Blend in a good learning environment. Let it cook for four years or until it's mature and confident. Then hope a TCU education leaves a good taste in the mouths of future employers. Fortunately for graduates, Bill Stowe, associate director of Career Services, said a TCU education currently is quite valuable. "Past TCU graduates are gaining promotions, and with promotions come salary increases," Stowe said. Several alumni agreed, saying their TCU educations not only helped them monetarily, but their degrees have helped them gain a competitive edge in the workplace. Maren Anderson, a TCU graduate with a bachelor's degree in international communication who works at an advertising firm in the Dallas area, said her TCU education has already proven to be an asset in her field. "I work with SMU and North Texas graduates," she said. "There aren't many TCU grads where I work, but my boss respects my TCU degree because he knows and respects the reputation of TCU grads from my department." Deana Snow, who graduated from TCU in May 1999 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism, said although she is currently working in a position outside her major, a TCU degree is an asset in a large metropolitan area such as the Dallas/Fort Worth area. "A degree from TCU is good to have, especially in the metroplex," she said. "I'm not working in my major, but having the TCU degree and my qualifications were the reason why I was hired. Employers around here know TCU's reputation, so the TCU degree was helpful." But what about the prestige and respect of TCU outside of Texas? Some employers might recognize the Horned Frog, but what about the reputation? Lindsey Dula, a senior social work and psychology major, said the TCU name is familiar not only in Texas. "All the work I have done is because of the TCU name," she said. "Some employers I worked with in Louisiana know about TCU. Some in California know about TCU. I think it's because TCU graduates are everywhere." As for success stories about TCU graduates, Stowe offered the following comments: "Most of the success stories are about people who knew what they wanted to do before they graduated," he said. "They did internships to give themselves headstarts." But even students that aren't successful immediately after graduation can find their niche, he said. "There was this one student who after he graduated, he worked different jobs, but none he liked," he said. "After a few years he tried to remember what he was good at and liked in college. It sounds funny, but it was partying. So he opened his own place. That student now owns and operates the Pour House Bar and Grill downtown. It took him a while, but he figured out what he wanted to do."
By Justin Roche staff reporter College is designed to prepare students for the working world, and TCU Career Services takes that idea one step further. Located between the Student Center and Reed Hall, Career Services has become a Mecca for students desiring to know what to do with their lives and how to get the jobs to satisfy those desires. Career Services provides numerous services to assist students with career choices, from determining majors to finding jobs after graduation. Bill Stowe, associate director of Career Services, said his office provides free information and assistance for people who want help with future employment. Freshmen and alumni alike can seek help in their job search efforts, he said. Stowe also said the ever-changing workplace makes using Career Services a viable option now that will positively affect the future. "The job market has changed to where getting that first job isn't enough anymore," he said. "You need to know how to get a job because your first job may not be the job you have your whole life. We prepare students for the workplace the rest of their lives." By setting goals for students and establishing strategies for achieving those goals, both at TCU and afterward, Career Services is a practical option for students. Katie Hale, a sophomore premajor, said she went to Career Services for help in deciding her major, although doing so was not her only goal. "I don't just want to find a major, I want to find something I want to do," she said. "Hopefully they can help figure that out." Hale said she took two tests to help determine her interests and skills. The results of the tests will list employment options that correspond to those interests and skills, she said. Aaron Clark, a senior political science major, said he decided to use Career Services to help him after he graduates in December. "I knew I had to market my skills somehow and putting my résumé out myself wasn't really working," he said. "I decided to let them do the leg work for me. "I'm hoping to get a job by December, but if nothing else, I'll have good interview and résumé-building skills and be better prepared for jobs in the future." Selicia Garman, a junior finance major, said the help she received putting her résumé online made her a strong advocate of Career Services. "Take advantage of everything they offer you," she said. "You're going to need to do all this. You might as well have help."
Career Resources Following is a list of programs offered by Career Services:
More information on Career Services is available at (www.cpl.tcu.edu/cpl)
By Matt Welnack staff reporter Once students leave TCU and join the "real world," few people know where they go. But the university is trying to find out. Vicki Walker, a decision support analyst for Institutional Research, said alumni have been encouraged for the last few years to fill out a survey that measures graduates' experiences while still in school. The response rate is usually between 20 percent and 30 percent, although it has become consistently lower in the 11 years she has worked for the university, she said. "I don't think it's important to people after they leave (school), and that's the way it should be," Walker said. But according to officials, information about how students earned jobs is important to the university. Carolyn Ulrickson, director of Career Services, said her office often gets calls from parents wanting to know the job placement rate and from employers who want to know what jobs lure graduates. And Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, said having information about graduates would also benefit the university. "The more data we collect on our grads, what they are doing, attitudes about their education the better it will be for all areas of the institution," he said. Ulrickson said several details must be worked out before a survey to track graduates - including where and when they get jobs - can be implemented. Officials must decide how many months after graduation the survey would be conducted and how it would remain consistent, she said. The survey conductors would also have to ask how long it took to get jobs and what salary alumni are making, Ulrickson said. Mills said the university should also look at doing a second or third study at 18-month intervals. He also questioned whether the survey should include graduate school information. In order to compile effective surveys, Ulrickson said surveyors would need a higher response rate than what Institutional Research currently receives in response to its surveys. A minimum of 66 percent response rate would be needed, she said. It would cost about $4,000 to $5,000 to hire student workers to conduct the survey. Walker said the low response rate is not characteristic to TCU. She surveyed more than 60 colleges and universities and found similar trends, she said. Staff reporter Matt Stiver contributed to this report. |
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